Candidates omitted from INEC lists should stop litigation — Shehu Sani
Former Senator Shehu Sani has advised candidates omitted from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lists to stop pursuing legal battles, saying they risk wasting money, time and energy. Sani made the…
INEC's publication of final candidate lists ahead of elections has long been a flashpoint in Nigerian politics, with aggrieved aspirants and parties routinely heading to court over exclusions tied to disputed primaries, party congresses or disqualification. The commission's authority to compile and publish these lists has been repeatedly tested in litigation, with courts at various times affirming INEC's reliance on documents submitted by political parties as the basis for candidate recognition.
Shehu Sani's intervention comes after INEC released its final list of governorship candidates for the 2027 elections, which excluded some prominent politicians. The coverage converges on his central message — that a Supreme Court-backed legal framework makes it difficult for omitted candidates to reverse their exclusion through the courts — though specifics of which politicians were left out, the party disputes behind their omission, and whether any of them plan to pursue litigation despite the warning have not been detailed in the reports.